What's wrong with a little positive narcissism?

According to boudoir photographer Lone Schneider, women are deserving of such attention.

Most of us will never pose for Playboy (nor consider it). However, we lately heard about the renaissance of boudoir photos--the kind which require that you channel your inner Bettie Page and loll about dressed in lacy underthings as the subject of a sultry photoshoot. Curious about this come back, we sent our Splendora sleuth to get to the "bottom" of this retro trend.

Her Story: The Lead Up

I booked an appointment with Lone Schnieder, a trusted photographer who specializes in boudoir photos. I met with her in person a week before to discuss the shoot. Schneider believes that talking to her clients beforehand is essential. More importantly, the talk is also a chance for her to make one well-intentioned condition perfectly clear: "I tease people a bit, saying, 'Okay, when you sign a contract with me, you are also signing a contract to leave your inner critic outside the door.' [...] I really want [women] to not get in the way of themselves."

The Photo Session

Awkwardness plagued me during the first minutes in the Boudoir. Feeling vulenerable in skimpy lingerie, nagging fears and body image insecurities bubbled to the surface. Schneider, with all of her experience, is attuned to such fears, but gently pushes her clients toward that which they may afraid of confronting, namely one's own sexuality. The benefits of doing so result in much more than a beautiful cache of vintage-inspired black and white photos. "I want [you] to walk away with an increased acceptance of yourself and your body and a sort of a sense of liberation. This is kind of a testament to saying, 'Yeah, I can be beautiful. I am beautiful. [...] My body is okay the way it is. I'm a sensual being. I don't need to hide that.'"

It wasn't long before I found myself truly settling into the shoot, finding my own voice, and suggesting ideas of my own. When I was invited to view the photos a week later, what I saw was pleasantly shocking: a range of expressions that were wildly different, but unmistakably me. It was during this stage that Schneider pushed me further, encouraging me to choose my photos carefully, playing devil's advocate when I shied away from pictures which were safe and sweet, as opposed to those that were unabashedly sexual. From ripped stockings and stiletto heels to modest, body conscious dancewear, there I was, frozen in time.

My encounter with Schneider was serendipitous, empowering, and, above all, about seizing this defining moment to reflect on and discover a deeper sense of my own beauty. In essence, forgoing the myth of perfection, as Schneider deeply believes. "We're never going to be really perfect, so let's not wait to enjoy and celebrate and appreciate who we are," she says, "Let's do it now."

See Lone's beautiful work here